Method and apparatus for adaptively adjusting user interface

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and method are disclosed for adaptively adjusting a user interface of an intelligent terminal device. The method may include acquiring a posture parameter of the intelligent terminal device. The method may also include determining dominant hand information of a user of the intelligent terminal device based on the posture parameter. In addition, the method may include adjusting a user interface of the intelligent terminal device based on the dominant hand information of the user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefits of priority to Chinese Application No. 201410498033.3, filed Sep. 25, 2014, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to the field of user interface control technologies of intelligent terminal devices, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for adaptively adjusting a user interface of an intelligent terminal device.

BACKGROUND

About 10% to 12% of people on the earth are left-handed (commonly known as left-handers). However, almost all software application (APP) User Interfaces (UIs) of intelligent terminal devices are designed for the convenience of right-handed people. As a result, for left-handers, current APP UIs of intelligent terminal devices are inconvenient to use, leading to poor user experience.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method for adaptively adjusting a user interface of an intelligent terminal device. The method may include acquiring a posture parameter of the intelligent terminal device. The method may also include determining dominant hand information of a user of the intelligent terminal device based on the posture parameter. In addition, the method may include adjusting a user interface of the intelligent terminal device based on the dominant hand information of the user.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include a memory device and a processor device communicatively coupled to the memory device. The processor device may be configured to acquire a posture parameter of the apparatus. The processor device may also be configured to determine dominant hand information of a user of the apparatus based on the posture parameter. In addition, the processor device may be configured to adjust a user interface of the apparatus based on the dominant hand information of the user.

Additional objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be set forth in part in the following detailed description, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present disclosure. The objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for adaptively adjusting a user interface of an intelligent terminal device, according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a three-axial schematic diagram of an intelligent terminal device, according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an intelligent terminal device rotating horizontally around the Z-axis, according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of an exemplary display position of a UI control element on a display screen of an intelligent terminal device in a left-hand mode.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary display position of a UI control element on a display screen of an intelligent terminal device in a right-hand mode.

FIG. 5 is a logic structural block diagram of an exemplary UI adjusting module, according to an embodiment of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When appropriate, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 a flow chart of an exemplary method 100 for adaptively adjusting a user interface of an intelligent terminal device. Method 100 may include a series of steps. Some steps may be optional.

In step S101, a posture parameter of the intelligent terminal device may be acquired. The posture parameter may include a yaw angle a of the intelligent terminal device. In another example, the posture parameter may include a roll angle y of the intelligent terminal device. In a further example, the posture parameter may include both the yaw angle α and the roll angle γ of the intelligent terminal device. Both the yaw angle α and the roll angle γ can be detected by a direction sensor of the intelligent terminal device. Acquisition of the posture parameter may be performed when the user is using the intelligent terminal device, such as when the user is making a phone call when the intelligent terminal device is a cell phone. The posture parameter may be acquired multiple times. For example, the posture parameter may be acquired a predetermined times, such as 100 times. In addition, whether the intelligent terminal device is being used to make a call can be determined by reading call status data using a Software Development Kit (SDK) interface of the operating system of the intelligent terminal device.

FIG. 2 shows an intelligent terminal device in a three-axial space. For ease of description, it is assumed that extending directions of the width, length, and thickness of the intelligent terminal device correspond to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis shown in FIG. 2, respectively. An initial posture of the intelligent terminal device can be defined when: the positive direction of the X-axis points to the right of the intelligent terminal device (e.g., to the east), the positive direction of the Y-axis points to the head or the upper portion of the intelligent terminal device (e.g., to the north), and the positive direction of the Z-axis is perpendicular to the plane of the screen of the intelligent terminal device (e.g., the horizontal plane) and points up (e.g., to the sky). Starting from the initial posture, the yaw angle can be defined as a rotation angle by which the intelligent terminal device rotates horizontally around the Z-axis relative to the initial posture (assume that the clockwise rotation is positive), where the value of the yaw angle can range from 0° to 360°. For example, when the Y-axis points to the north, the yaw angle can be defined as 0°, and when the Y-axis points to the south, the yaw angle can be defined as 180°. Similarly, when the Y-axis points to the east, the yaw angle can be defined as 90°, and when the Y-axis points to the west, the yaw angle can be defined as 270°.

A pitch angle can be defined as a rotation angle by which the intelligent terminal device rotates around the X-axis up and down relative to the initial posture (assume that the rotation of the head or upper portion of the intelligent terminal device towards the positive direction of the Z-axis is positive). The value of the pitch angle may range from −180° to 180°.

The roll angle can be defined as a rotation angle by which the intelligent terminal device rotates around the Y-axis left and right relative to the initial posture (assume that the rotation of the screen side towards the positive direction of the X-axis is positive, and the rotation of the screen side towards the negative direction of the X-axis is negative). The value of the roll angle may range from −90° to 90°.

In some embodiments, the yaw angle, the pitch angle, and the roll angle can all be detected by a direction sensor of the intelligent terminal device. Posture parameters may be collected when the user is in a normal standing or sitting position. When the user is not in the normal standing or sitting position (e.g., when the user is lying down or making calls with an headphone on), posture parameter may not be collected.

In step S102, a processor device of the intelligent terminal device may determine the dominant hand information of the user according to the posture parameter. In some embodiments, the posture parameter may include the yaw angle a of the intelligent terminal device. If the yaw angle a is in a range of 0°<α<90°, the processor device may determine that the user of the intelligent terminal device uses his/her right hand to hold the intelligent terminal device, as shown on the right side of FIG. 3. On the other hand, if the yaw angle a is in a range of 270°<α<360°, the processor device may determine that the user of the intelligent terminal device uses his/her left hand to hold the intelligent terminal device, as shown on the left side of FIG. 3. The determination may be made while the user is making a call while holding the intelligent terminal device with either his/her right or left hand.

In some embodiments, the posture parameter may include the roll angle γ of the intelligent terminal device. If the roll angle γ is in a range of −90°<γ<0°, the processor device may determine that the user of the intelligent terminal uses his/her left hand to hold the intelligent terminal device. On the other hand, if the roll angle y is in a range of 0°<γ<90°, the processor device may determine that the user of the intelligent terminal uses his/her right hand to hold the intelligent terminal device. Similar to the determination process based on the yaw angle, the determination process based on the roll angle may be performed while the user is making a call while holding the intelligent terminal device with either his/her right or left hand.

Regardless of whether the yaw angle α or the roll angle γ is used to determine the left/right hand, such determination process may be made multiple times. For example, the direction sensor may detect a plurality of posture parameters during a series of events. For each acquired posture parameter, the processor device may determine whether the user uses the right or left hand to hold the intelligent terminal device. Assume that a total number of N posture parameters are acquired, for each of the N posture parameters, a determination process is carried out to determine whether the user uses his/her left or right hand to hold the intelligent terminal device. There may be L number of times that the processor determines that left hand is used and R number of times that the processor determines that right hand is used.

If a ratio of L/N, indicating that the number of times that left hand is used over the total number of times the posture parameter is acquired, is greater than a preset threshold (e.g., 80%), or if L>R, the processor device may determine that the dominant hand of the user of the intelligent terminal device is the left hand.

Similarly, If a ratio of R/N, indicating that the number of times that right hand is used over the total number of times the posture parameter is acquired, is greater than a preset threshold (e.g., 80%), or if R>L, the processor device may determine that the dominant hand of the user of the intelligent terminal device is the right hand.

In Step S103, the processor device may adaptively adjust the user interface of the intelligent terminal device based on the dominant hand information of the user. For example, if it is determined that the dominant hand of the user is the left hand, the user interface of the intelligent terminal device may be adjusted from a right-hand mode (e.g., when the right-hand mode is the default setting) to a left-hand mode. If it is determined that the dominant hand of the user is the right hand, it may not be necessary to make an adjustment if the right-hand mode is the default setting. In this way, for each user, a personalized user interface conforming to the dominant hand of the user may be provided, making it more convenient for any user, especially the left-handers, to use the intelligent terminal device. User experience may be improved.

In some embodiments, the user interface of the intelligent terminal device may be by default in the right-hand mode. A left-hand mode may be provided by mirroring (e.g., left-right mirroring) the display settings of the right-hand mode. Both the right-hand mode and the left-hand mode may be provided as configuration files in advance. The right-hand mode or the left-hand mode can be selected according to the result of the determination process described above. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, display positions of a same UI control element (e.g., the black blocks 401 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B) on the screen of the intelligent terminal device in the two different modes may be symmetric with respect to the central vertical axis of the screen.

In some embodiments, the user interface of the intelligent terminal device may be a user interface of an APP of the intelligent terminal. In this case, once the mode is adjusted, even after the APP is restarted, the APP may remember the mode preference and display the adjusted user interface. In some embodiments, the user interface of the intelligent terminal device may be a user interface of an operating system of the intelligent terminal device. In this case, once the mode is adjusted, even after system reboot, the system may remember the mode preference and display the adjusted user interface.

An exemplary code illustrating the disclosed method is provided as follow, in which yaw angle α is used in the determination of the dominant hand.

public class SensorActivity extends Activity implements SensorEventListener { private SensorManager mSensorManager; private Sensor mOrientation; @Override public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {  super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);  setContentView(R.layout.main);  mSensorManager = (SensorManager) getSystemService(Context.SENSOR_SERVICE);  mOrientation = mSensorManager.getDefaultSensor(Sensor.TYPE_ORIENTATION);  }  @Override  public void onAccuracyChanged(Sensor sensor, int accuracy) {  //....  }  @Override  protected void onResume( ) {  super.onResume( );  mSensorManager.registerListener(this, mOrientation, SensorManager.SENSOR_DELAY_NORMAL);  }  @Override  protected void onPause( ) {  super.onPause( );  mSensorManager.unregisterListener(this);  }  @Override  public void onSensorChanged(SensorEvent event) {  float yaw_angle = event.values[0]; //yaw angle  float pitch_angle = event.values[1]; //pitch angle  float roll_angle = event.values[2]; //roll angle  // Determination can be made using these angles  if (0<azimuth_angle<90 ){   //....   Lefthand_count+=1; //Left hand count is increased by 1  }  else if (270<azimuth_angle<360){    //...    Righthand_count+=1; //Right hand count is increased by 1  }else{    //Other cases are not counted, as the user's body may be in a strange position when receiving the call or the call is answered using a headphone.  }  } }

FIG. 5 is a logic structural block diagram of an exemplary UI adjusting module 500. UI adjusting module 500 may be implemented using software code instructions stored on a memory device of the intelligent terminal device. The processor device of the intelligent terminal device may execute the instructions to perform the various functions disclosed above. UI adjusting module 500 may include several functional units. Referring to FIG. 5, UI adjusting module 500 may include a posture parameter acquisition unit 51, a dominant hand determination unit 52, and a user interface adjustment unit 53.

Posture parameter acquisition unit 51 may be configured to acquire a posture parameter of the intelligent terminal device, as discussed above in connection with FIGS. 1-3 and 4A-4B.

Dominant hand determination unit 52 may be configured to determine dominant hand information of the user of the intelligent terminal device based on the posture parameter, as discussed above in connection with FIGS. 1-3 and 4A-4B.

User interface adjustment unit 53 may be configured to adaptively adjust a user interface of the intelligent terminal device based on the dominant hand information of the user, as discussed above in connection with FIGS. 1-3 and 4A-4B.

The disclosed methods and functions may be implemented using software code instructions stored in a memory device, and executed by a processor device. The processor device may include a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic apparatuses, a discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or a design combining any of those described above. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. The processor device may also be implemented using a combination of computing apparatuses, for example, a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

The steps of the method or algorithms described in the embodiments of the present invention may be embedded into hardware, a software module executed by the processor device, or a combination thereof. The software module may be stored in a memory device, such as a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or a storage medium of any other form in the field. The storage medium may be connected to the processor device, so that the processor device can read information from the storage medium and write information into the storage medium. The storage medium may be integrated in the processor device. The processor device and the storage medium may be disposed in the ASIC, and the ASIC may be disposed in a user terminal. The processor device and the storage medium may also be disposed in different components of the user terminal.

The specification has described apparatuses and methods for adaptively adjusting user interfaces. The illustrated steps are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be anticipated that ongoing technological development will change the manner in which particular functions are performed. Thus, these examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. For example, steps or processes disclosed herein are not limited to being performed in the order described, but may be performed in any order, and some steps may be omitted, consistent with disclosed embodiments. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments.

While examples and features of disclosed principles are described herein, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. Also, the words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,” and other similar forms are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., be non-transitory. Examples include RAM, ROM, volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

It will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the exact construction that has been described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention should only be limited by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for adaptively adjusting a user interface of an intelligent terminal device, the method comprising: acquiring a posture parameter of the intelligent terminal device; determining, by a processor device of the intelligent terminal device, dominant hand information of a user of the intelligent terminal device based on the posture parameter; and adjusting a user interface of the intelligent terminal device based on the dominant hand information of the user.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the posture parameter includes a yaw angle of the intelligent terminal device.
 3. The method of claim 2, comprising: determining that the user of the intelligent terminal device uses the right hand if the yaw angle is within a first range; and determining that the user of the intelligent terminal device uses the left hand if the yaw angle is within a second range.
 4. The method of claim 3, comprising: acquiring a plurality of yaw angles during a series of events; for each acquired yaw angle, determining whether the user of the intelligent terminal device uses the right or the left hand; determining a first number of times that the user uses the left hand and a second number of times that the user uses the right hand; if a ratio of the first number to a total number of acquired yaw angles is greater than a first preset threshold, or if the first number is greater than the second number, determining that the dominant hand of the user is the left hand; and if a ratio of the second number to the total number of acquired yaw angles is greater than a second preset threshold, or if the second number is greater than the first number, determining that the dominant hand of the user is the right hand.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the posture parameter includes a roll angle of the intelligent terminal device.
 6. The method of claim 5, comprising: determining that the user of the intelligent terminal device uses the right hand if the roll angle is within a first range; and determining that the user of the intelligent terminal device uses the left hand if the roll angle is within a second range.
 7. The method of claim 6, comprising: acquiring a plurality of roll angles during a series of events; for each acquired roll angle, determining whether the user of the intelligent terminal device uses the right or the left hand; determining a first number of times that the user uses the left hand and a second number of times that the user uses the right hand; if a ratio of the first number to a total number of acquired roll angles is greater than a first preset threshold, or if the first number is greater than the second number, determining that the dominant hand of the user is the left hand; and if a ratio of the second number to the total number of acquired roll angles is greater than a second preset threshold, or if the second number is greater than the first number, determining that the dominant hand of the user is the right hand.
 8. The method of claim 1, comprising: when it is determined that the dominant hand of the user is the left hand, adjusting the user interface of the intelligent terminal device from a right-hand mode to a left-hand mode.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface of the intelligent terminal device includes a user interface of a software application or a user interface of an operating system.
 10. The method of claim 2, comprising: detecting, by a direction sensor of the intelligent terminal device, the yaw angle.
 11. The method of claim 5, comprising: detecting, by a direction sensor of the intelligent terminal device, the roll angle.
 12. An apparatus, comprising: a memory device; and a processor device communicatively coupled to the memory device, wherein the processor device is configured to: acquire a posture parameter of the apparatus; determine dominant hand information of a user of the apparatus based on the posture parameter; and adjust a user interface of the apparatus based on the dominant hand information of the user.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the posture parameter includes a yaw angle of the intelligent terminal device.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor device is configured to: determine that the user of the apparatus uses the right hand if the yaw angle is within a first range; and determine that the user of the apparatus uses the left hand if the yaw angle is within a second range.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor device is configured to: acquire a plurality of yaw angles during a series of events; for each acquired yaw angle, determine whether the user of the apparatus uses the right or the left hand; determine a first number of times that the user uses the left hand and a second number of times that the user uses the right hand; if a ratio of the first number to a total number of acquired yaw angles is greater than a first preset threshold, or if the first number is greater than the second number, determine that the dominant hand of the user is the left hand; and if a ratio of the second number to the total number of acquired yaw angles is greater than a second preset threshold, or if the second number is greater than the first number, determine that the dominant hand of the user is the right hand.
 16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the posture parameter includes a roll angle of the intelligent terminal device.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor device is configured to: determine that the user of the apparatus uses the right hand if the roll angle is within a first range; and determine that the user of the apparatus uses the left hand if the roll angle is within a second range.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor device is configured to: acquire a plurality of roll angles during a series of events; for each acquired roll angle, determine whether the user of the apparatus uses the right or the left hand; determine a first number of times that the user uses the left hand and a second number of times that the user uses the right hand; if a ratio of the first number to a total number of acquired roll angles is greater than a first preset threshold, or if the first number is greater than the second number, determine that the dominant hand of the user is the left hand; and if a ratio of the second number to the total number of acquired roll angles is greater than a second preset threshold, or if the second number is greater than the first number, determine that the dominant hand of the user is the right hand.
 19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to: when it is determined that the dominant hand of the user is the left hand, adjusting the user interface of the apparatus from a right-hand mode to a left-hand mode.
 20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is an intelligent terminal device and the user interface of the apparatus includes a user interface of a software application or a user interface of an operating system.
 21. The apparatus of claim 13, comprising: a direction sensor configured to detect the yaw angle.
 22. The apparatus of claim 16, comprising: a direction sensor configured to detect the roll angle. 